From Alfred Feliciano: This Special Fall Edition is dedicated to the memories of longtime Puerto Rican wrestling fan, Yoly Serrano who had b...
This Special Fall Edition is dedicated to the memories of longtime Puerto Rican wrestling fan, Yoly Serrano who had been a strong supporter of WWC, IWA Puerto Rico and promotion throughout the Island and former CMLL Superstar Starman who also passed away last week. On behalf of Everyone in Georgia Wrestling History News and Notes. We send our thoughts and prayers to both their respective families.
October 28, 2000, Pepin Cestero Arena,Bayamon,Puerto Rico: It was the finals of the Tournament to crown the very first IWA Puerto Rico World Championship. with a jam packed attendance of close to 4,500 fans at the time the promotion itself was a member of the NWA under the late Howard Brody like another former NWA member, Ohio Valley Wrestling, Cincinnati's Heartland Wrestling Association, Memphis Championship Wrestling and Power Pro Wrestling. IWA Puerto Rico was a WWE Development Territory. Officials from both the NWA and WWE (Hugo Savinovich, Jim Cornette and Dr. Tom Prichard) were in attendance for the finals of the tournament, a Fatal Four Way between "El Mesias" Ricky Banderas,"El Leon"Apolo,"El Malcriado" Miguel Perez,Jr and former Toronto native who was living in Caguas, Shane Sewell.
After a grueling match, Sewell became the very first IWA Puerto Rico World Champion. Th coveted title has been defended locally throughout the Island and defended in an International level, be it in WWE's Dark Episodes in 2001, Japan's FMW, Panama's Revolution Xtreme Wrestling, and Ecuador's Wrestling Alliance Revolution. in the promotion's first twelve years of existence from 1999-2012 to their return in 2019, many well known name from Puerto Rico and worldwide have held the title in its now 22 Year history: from Shane, "El Mesias" Ricky Banderas, "El Leon" Apolo,"El Boricua Mayor" Savio Vega, current WWC Director of Operations "Mr. Raytings" Ray Gonzales, "El Ilegal" Chicano, Slash Venom (Flash Flanagan),the late Bison Smith, Primo Carnero (Big Sal on ECW), Pain (former wrestler now turned actor and stuntman in Hollywood.), former wrestler Ryan Wilson (fka Humongous), Ricky Vega (who at Impact Wrestling's early years was Machete),Mikael Judas,Ricky Vega (Machete. retired Puerto Rican wrestler and former WWE Superstar Eric Escobar,Rick Stanley, Lightning,"The King of Chaos" Ricky Cruz, Jay Cobbs, Dennis Rivera,"El Dueño del Mundo" Hiram Tua,"El Latino Dorado" Joe Bravo, El Bacano, "El Rabioso" Blitz, Chris Angel, Spectro, Bonecrusher, current LAWE Superstar "La Nueva Cara" Electro (who became the youngest IWA Puerto Rico World Champio since their return in 2019), MLW Superstar Richard Holliday. The recent war between IWA Puerto Rico and IWE lead to each promotion having their own World Championships. On the IWA Puerto Rico side their world champions "The Great" John Hawking and "El Hombre con la Fuerza de 10" Mr.Big and on the IWE side World Champion: Invader#1 and "El Macho Alpha" Manny Ferno. It also inspired IWA Florida to have their own World Heavyweight Championship. This November, IWA Puerto Rico's Hardcore Weekend will have their Invasion event in Orlando. So stay tuned for news as to whether IWA Puerto Rico's World Championship will be defended in IWA Florida as a part of Hardcore Weekend.
Champion Wrestling Entertainment was a short-lived that ran shows in the Northwest section of the Island, in their home base of Quebradillas, Camuy, Isabela and throughout Aguadilla. Their half hour show aired Saturday at 11:00 AM on WOLE-TV Network (Channel 12.2) and was also seen through the old Choice Cable TV Channel 39. The only championship they had was the CWE Quebradillas World Championship. The company's homegrown stars were Baby Bad, Montiel, Asesino, Pantera Jr. and Lady Dragon. The roster also included well known names from the t the North and West Coast of the Island like Ground Zero Wrestling owner and current GZW Puerto Rican Champion Demolition X, "The Aguadilla Legend" Black Trebol and Bad Trebol, El Mariachi, La Seguridad Maxima, Tornado Chris, Vengador #1, Taurus, Manny Mendoza, Lalo Camacho, J.C.L. and others. But as quickly as their popularity rose locally, like other indy wrestling promotion on the West Coast of the Island, CWE Quebradillas lost money. In the years since CWE shut down, two now defunct promotions came aboard and filled their television time slots. New Revolution Wrestling had TV on WOLE for five years until they closed up shop in late 2016. John Wrestling Promotion aired Saturday morning at 11:00 AM and Wednesday nights at 9:30 PM until they closed their doors forever due to the COVID Crisis.
In 1996, Dale Gagne and Johnnie Stewart brought back the American Wrestling Association, then renamed it Wrestling Superstars Live in 2007 due to a lawsuit by Vince McMahon and the WWE. thus turning WSL into a sanctioning body for member promotions all over America, the United Kingdom, and Australia, as well as Japan's Zero One promotion. Along with the now defunct CWF Mid-Atlantic, there were two AWA/WSL member promotions from the Southeast.
AWA Florida started as MVP Productions running show as wrestling conventions from 1997-2004. AWA Florida started running live events throughout the Sunshine State in 2005. As mentioned above, due to the lawsuit from WWE, Gagne and Stewart decided to discontinue sanctioning AWA member promotions. AWA Florida continued to have live events, and had great stars like Amber O'Neal-Gallows,Krissy Vaine, Mister Saint Laurent, among others until like WSL. the promotion closed down in 2009. Jon Davis from the Dark City Fight Club was the final AWA Florida Heavyweight Champion. "Mr.360" Jerelle Clark still holds the AWA Florida Light Heavyweight/Television Championships, Twin Dilemma held the AWA Florida Women's Championship. The only AWA Florida championship that remained active was the AWA Florida Tag Team Championship. That title was defended in the now defunct I Believe in Wrestling in Orlando from 2008-2010. A tournament to crown new AWA Florida Tag Team Champions was won by the The Dirty Blondes (Leo Brien and Michael Patrick) on February 27, 2015. The tag team championship remained active through 2020 when I Believe in Wrestling folded.
In the next Special Edition we will remember AWA Spinebuster Championship Wrestling/WORLD-1 South from Valdosta, Georgia in its Earlier Incarnation.
Los Untraditionals was formed in the now defunct John Wrestling Promotion in 2018, its members were: Mayaguez native,"La Chica de la Actitud" Roxxy, The Looney Twinz (Real OB and Crypton Twinz), Jared Nova, "La Perla Negra" Allison, "El Salvador" Louis Forza, and "El Vigilante" Aiden Grimm. This faction has been very popular with the fans, not just all over the Island. but also through Charity Wrestling Organization events in the South and West Coast of Puerto Rico and US indy promotions in New York City, New Jersey and Florida. Los Untraditionals have had their share of great times and tough times as well. While some of them (Roxxy, Allison, Forza, OB and Grimm) are winning championship gold in Puerto Rico and in the Northeastern US, Crypton Twinz left the Island in 2019 and have been active in Ohio winning tag team gold. Who knows if the faction will reunite and once again have a major impact in Puerto Rico's top wrestling promotions.
To end this Special Fall Edition, by popular demand, the historic Fatal Four way match to crown the new IWA Puerto Rico World Champion on October 27, 2000 in Bayamon. as well as other matches for that coveted title celebrating its 22 Year history, along with matches from CWE and AWA Florida.
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